Heavy Equipment Operator resume examples for 2025

Heavy Equipment Operator resume format and sections

1. 1

   1. Add contact information to your heavy equipment operator resume

   Your name should be the biggest text on the page and be at or near the top of the document. Your address doesn't need to include your street name or house number - listing your city and state works just fine. Your email address should be professional, but not your current work email address. It's not a good look to use your work email for personal projects (job-searching). Your social media can be included if you have a fully-fledged LinkedIn page or another social media page that showcases your relevant skill set.

   Heavy Equipment Operator Resume Contact Information Example #1

   Dhruv Johnson

   d.johnson@email.com | 333-111-2222 | www.linkedin.com/in/dhruv-johnson

   Do you want to know more?

   How To Write The Perfect Resume Header
2. 2

   2. Add relevant education to your heavy equipment operator resume

   Your resume's education section should include:

   • The name of your school
   • The date you graduated (Month, Year or Year are both appropriate)
   • The name of your degree

   If you graduated more than 15 years ago, you should consider dropping your graduation date to avoid age discrimination.

   Optional subsections for your education section include:

   • Academic awards (Dean's List, Latin honors, etc. )
   • GPA (if you're a recent graduate and your GPA was 3.5+)
   • Extra certifications
   • Academic projects (thesis, dissertation, etc. )

   Other tips to consider when writing your education section include:

   • If you're a recent graduate, you might opt to place your education section above your experience section
   • The more work experience you get, the shorter your education section should be
   • List your education in reverse chronological order, with your most recent and high-ranking degrees first
   • If you haven't graduated yet, you can include "Expected graduation date" to the entry for that school

   Check More About Heavy Equipment Operator Education

   Majors

   Business

   17.7%

   General Studies

   12.9%

   Heavy/Industrial Equipment Maintenance Technologies

   10.8%

   Automotive Technology

   8.7%

   Show More

   Heavy Equipment Operator Resume Relevant Education Example #1

   Some College Courses In Business 2017 - 2019

   Colorado Technical University Colorado Springs, CO

   Heavy Equipment Operator Resume Relevant Education Example #2

   High School Diploma 2008 - 2010

3. 3

   3. Next, create a heavy equipment operator skills section on your resume

   Your resume's skills section should include the most important keywords from the job description, as long as you actually have those skills. If you haven't started your job search yet, you can look over resumes to get an idea of what skills are the most important.

   Here are some tips to keep in mind when writing your resume's skills section:

   • Include 6-12 skills, in bullet point form
   • List mostly hard skills; soft skills are hard to test
   • Emphasize the skills that are most important for the job

   Hard skills are generally more important to hiring managers because they relate to on-the-job knowledge and specific experience with a certain technology or process.

   Soft skills are also valuable, as they're highly transferable and make you a great person to work alongside, but they're impossible to prove on a resume.

   Example of skills to include on an heavy equipment operator resume

   • Backhoe Skills.
      

     A backhoe or also refers to as a back actor, is one of the heavy machine excavation equipment used for digging up big holes. It has an articulated arm hooked on the back of the loader that can carry big objects and transfer them from one place to another. It's like a bigger version of the shovel responsible for carrying, loading, and unloading bucket.

   • Dump Truck Skills.
      

     A Dump Truck is the name of a large vehicle intended for the transportation of large quantities of certain materials, often those used in construction projects, such as gravel and sand, and it might be used to clean up during or after said projects, such as construction waste and debris. Such vehicles require specific licensing and training on the part of the driver.

   • Front End Loader Skills.
      

     The front-end loader is a piece of heavy equipment, usually, a wheeled vehicle (sometimes on tracks) with a hydraulically operated excavator at the front to excavate and load materials such as dirt, earth, stone, sand, demolition debris, asphalt, etc. into another type of machine such as dump trucks, conveyor belt, etc. without pushing the material against the ground. The front of the loader has a large square-shaped bucket connected to the base by two hydraulic arms.

   • Equipment Operation Skills.
      

     Equipment operation is the process of managing and maintaining industrial equipment. This involves installing, maintaining, testing, modifying, operating, and managing the equipment's life cycle. Examples of specialized equipment include pressure vessels, industrial pipes, and rotating machinery. Engineering associations such as the EEMUA help companies to be well-versed in equipment operations.

   Top Skills for a Heavy Equipment Operator

   Loaders, 9.4%
   Backhoe, 6.4%
   CDL, 6.0%
   Asphalt, 5.1%
   Other Skills, 73.1%
   See All Heavy Equipment Operator Skills

   Not sure which skills are really important?

   3 Big Tips For Listing Skills On Your Resume
4. 4

   4. List your heavy equipment operator experience

   The most important part of any resume for a heavy equipment operator is the experience section. Recruiters and hiring managers expect to see your experience listed in reverse chronological order, meaning that you should begin with your most recent experience and then work backwards.

   Don't just list your job duties below each job entry. Instead, make sure most of your bullet points discuss impressive achievements from your past positions. Whenever you can, use numbers to contextualize your accomplishments for the hiring manager reading your resume.

   It's okay if you can't include exact percentages or dollar figures. There's a big difference even between saying "Managed a team of heavy equipment operators" and "Managed a team of 6 heavy equipment operators over a 9-month project. "

   Most importantly, make sure that the experience you include is relevant to the job you're applying for. Use the job description to ensure that each bullet point on your resume is appropriate and helpful.

   Don't have any experience?

   How To Show Your Experience On a Resume... Even When You Don't Have Any

   Work History Example # 1

   Driller Helper

   Helmerich & Payne

   • Worked on Flex Rig Series, Veics System, with BOP Wranglers.
   • Experienced in Omron Cyber Control Operating system with joystick operations and HMI screen controls including parameter adjustments to improve performance.
   • Assisted welders in repairing of tank farm at Chevron Port Arthur Lubricants Plant after Hurricane Ike.
   • Maintained and adjusted machinery to ensure proper performance, proper rig servicing as well as rented third party equipment.
   • Operated cyber chair to work with BHS (pipe handler racking stands back/handing off to well bore).

   Work History Example # 2

   Pipe Layer

   CBIZ

   • Installed conduit pipes used to protect electrical wiring in buildings and transportation equipment.
   • Leveled and laid bricks for structures ranging residential to business buildings.
   • Demonstrated ability to diagnose, repair, and maintain and central air conditioning/refrigeration systems.
   • Taylored Masonry, Orange County, CA Brick Layer for new home construction.
   • Operated crane to lift and move materials and large objects.

   Work History Example # 3

   Front End Loader Operator

   First Transit

   • Anchored wheelchairs and strapped in ambulatory patients.
   • Worked per diem whilst awaiting CDL certification.
   • Maintained constant communication with all dispatcher.
   • Earned prestigious award for 1000 or more railcars successfully shipped without any spills or environmental damage by the BNSF Company.
   • Unloaded semi-trailers from GPC plant and put into locations to be picked for customer loads.

   Work History Example # 4

   Heavy Equipment Operator

   Halliburton

   • Operated pump truck to load, unload and move frac/acid following company safety guidelines.
   • Obtained a class A CDL licences to drive and operate equipment.
   • Obtained CDL A with endorsements N, X, T on 7/27/2011.
   • Complied with all HSE and PPE requirements.
   • Operated Fracturing trucks and equipment; progresses to independently driving Iron, Sand, BASS and Auxiliary Sand trucks.

   Show More
5. 5

   5. Highlight heavy equipment operator certifications on your resume

   Specific heavy equipment operator certifications can be a powerful tool to show employers you've developed the appropriate skills.

   If you have any of these certifications, make sure to put them on your heavy equipment operator resume:

   1. OSHA Safety Certificate
   2. Operator Certification
   3. EPA Amusement Operators Safety Certification (EPA)
   4. Mobile Crane Operator Certification
   5. Certified Operator Class IV
   6. Certified Equipment Manager (CEM)
   7. Certified Environmental Professional: Environmental Operations
   8. Rigging Equipment Inspector
   9. Safety Trained Supervisor (STS)
   10. Certified Engineering Operations Executive (CEOE)

   More Certifications For Heavy Equipment Operator
6. 6

   6. Finally, add an heavy equipment operator resume summary or objective statement

   A resume summary statement consists of 1-3 sentences at the top of your heavy equipment operator resume that quickly summarizes who you are and what you have to offer. The summary statement should include your job title, years of experience (if it's 3+), and an impressive accomplishment, if you have space for it.

   Remember to emphasize skills and experiences that feature in the job description.

   Are you a recent grad?

   Read our guide on how to write a resume summary statement